Aug. 25, 2012

Stats

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Despite a pair of double-doubles from senior setter Amanda Philpot and junior outside hitter Kara Morgan, the Ole Miss volleyball team could not overcome a scrappy Wofford (1-2) team at the Knight Complex in Coral Gables, Fla., as part of the Hurricane Invitational.

Ole Miss (1-2) got strong performances from Philpot, Morgan and senior right side hitter Allegra Wells, but couldn’t put away the Terriers after taking a 2-sets-to-1 lead in the match.

Philpot passed out 38 assists in the match and dug 15 balls. Morgan recorded a match-high 15 kills to go along with 11 digs, and Wells put down 13 kills on 27 attempts for a .407 clip.

It took a few different runs for the Rebels to finally dispatch Wofford in the first set. After each team exchanged points for much of the first half of the set, Ole Miss took a comfortable lead only to see Wofford storm all the way back to tie it at 18 points apiece and prompt a timeout by Ole Miss head coach Joe Getzin.

It was all Rebels following the timeout, as Ole Miss scored seven of the set’s final eight points to take the set 25-19. Wells had a very strong opening set, registering four kills on five attempts.

Wofford took set two 25-21 after falling behind early in the set by a count of 6-1. The Terriers responded with an 8-1 run of their own to take a 9-7 lead they would never relinquish. The Rebels made several rallies at the deficit, but could never overcome it.

Ole Miss took the third set 25-15 with strong performances from Morgan and senior outside hitter Ashley Anderson, each registering four kills. Philpot also had a strong third set, passing out 10 assists.

The Terriers rebounded in the fourth set, taking control of the game from the first serve. Down by eight points at 15-7, the Rebels regrouped and pulled within three thanks to a 6-1 run. Ole Miss could not get over the hump though, as Wofford scored nine of the set’s final 13 points to push the match to a fifth and deciding set.

Wofford led throughout much of the fifth set, but never by more than three points. Down by two points at 12-10, Ole Miss took advantage of back-to-back errors to tie the set at 12 points apiece and force a timeout by the Terriers. Wofford would score the next three points though and take the final set 15-12.

After the match, Philpot was named to the Hurricane Invitational All-Tournament team. A co-captain on the team, Philpot averaged 37.0 assists, 12.0 digs and 7.0 kills per match in Ole Miss' three matches in Coral Gables, Fla.

Ole Miss will compete again Friday, Aug. 31 at 9:00 a.m. CT against Marquette to open play in the Xavier Tournament in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Rebels will play again later that day at 6:00 p.m. CT against host-school Xavier. Ole Miss will finish the tournament Saturday, Sept. 1 with a matchup against Tennessee Tech at 1:00 p.m. CT.

For all Ole Miss volleyball news and information, including recaps and updates from each of Saturday’s two matches, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissVB and Facebook at Ole Miss Volleyball.